Light of the Oceans
by Redonkadonk
Summary: As the mermaid princesses prepare to return to their kingdoms, Lucia grapples with worry about leaving her life on land behind. But when freak accidents devastate both land and sea, the young princess faces a grim reality that spans far deeper than she could ever have believed.
1. Chapter 1

It had been months after their final battle against Michel. Everything should've been back to normal.

So why did Lucia feel as thought something was wrong in her life?

She didn't dare bring it up with anyone else, even as she continued on to school with her friends. Even as she continued her romance with Kaito...

Yes! How could anything be wrong when she was finally with Kaito? He finally knew who she was, and he loved her for everything she was; a mermaid, a princess, and one of the saviors of the undersea world. The seven undersea kingdoms had her, Hanon, and Rina to thank for bringing the kingdoms' princesses and saving them twice by now, from both Gaito and Michel. And Seira, the new Indian Ocean princess, also had to thank Lucia for saving her from Michel's evil grasp before she even had the chance to be born.

So why did Lucia feel this sense of disturbance far darker and deeper than the abyss Gaito used to lurk in?

"What's wrong, miss Lucia?" Hippo gazed at her worriedly as they stood within the Pearl Piari's laundry room folding bed sheets. He had switched to his human form to assist Lucia since Nikola and the other girls were out running errands, but now he could see that the young princess he was serving under was far more distracted than he usually knew her to be. "You don't look so well."

"Wha?" Lucia snapped out of her haze and looked back at Hippo, who held a sheet tightly in his small hands. She wasn't paying attention to what she was doing and had let a sheet fall out of her hands onto the floor. "Oh, I'm sorry! I was just thinking about things, that's all.."

"Well, I guess that makes sense. After what we talked about the other night, I can understand why you might be distracted.." Truth be told, Hippo should've known better. Two nights ago, Nikola had gathered the girls together for a meeting once the hotel was cleaned up. They figured it was just a run-down of how the hotel's business was going. But they were shocked to learn that since the kingdoms were all in functioning order, they were now asking that the princesses return home so that they could begin their duties again as royalty. This meant that soon they would no longer be going to school, or helping out in the hotel, or getting to visit the city and go shopping like they did on the weekend.

It meant they would have to leave the boys they had fallen for.

It meant leaving Kaito behind.

The girls were heartbroken knowing that they wouldn't see their boyfriends again, but Hippo made it very clear that when they had free time to themselves, it could be possible that they could come back and visit. But he also made it very clear that he wasn't so sure about having the boys come visit them; a hint that felt, at least to Lucia, was directly aimed at her and Kaito.

Kaito, as the girls eventually found out while fighting against Gaito, was part of the Panthalassa clan, another underwater race that fought to control the seas long ago. He was also Gaito's twin brother, separated at birth to prevent their powers from combining and devastating the seas. This led to Kaito being adopted by a human couple, who would eventually lose their lives on a ship wrecked during a major storm caused by the great despair and heartache felt by the late Indian Ocean princess Sara. This, of course, was the entire crux of Lucia's first meeting with young Kaito, whose life she had saved all those years ago. Kaito didn't know of his heritage until fairly recently, and even though he was kin to the man that threatened Lucia and the others, he never once used or wanted to use his clan powers willingly to do any wrong to anyone under the sea and above on land. And Hippo was well aware of that, as he told Nikola later on, and he was glad that Kaito was accepting of his heritage and his brother's many wrong-doings, and of Lucia's heritage as well. But still, he stressed, he wasn't so sure of how the kingdoms would react to the idea that there was still living members of the Panthalassa clan, so he made it known to Lucia that the time she spent with Kaito once she returned home would only be on land where he would be safer.

And even then, he told the young girl, it would still be very limited time since she had duties to perform back home, some of them being of very high importance. There was a rumor spreading throughout the seas that Aqua Regina would be bringing forth a successor soon, and each of the mermaid princesses had to be present at their kingdoms in the possibility that they were selected. The goddess was often selected out of one kingdom twice, and the previous goddess was supposedly selected from the North Pacific Ocean – Lucia's kingdom.

Lucia hated it, of course. Everything was going so well for her now that the seas were at peace, and now she had to leave! She understood that there was a chance she'd be selected as the successor, but deep down she had hoped that she would be able to live out a good long life with Kaito. But now…

"Miss Lucia," Hippo started. He didn't want to spoil her fun on land; he knew how much she enjoyed being part of a new world, even if it had been for the future good of the undersea kingdoms. "I know how you must be feeling about everything… But it's what has to be done. You know the kingdom can't run without you!"

Lucia's throat stung as she tried to hold back tears. "… I know that… But it's just so..." Her hands gripped tightly the sheet she had picked back up, and she held it close to her chest. Her heart pounded furiously at the thought of leaving this life behind. "It seems so unfair… It's the best for everyone, so why does it have to be so unfair?!"

Hippo bowed his head, eventually dropping the sheet he had been working on, and walked to the young girl, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as the gates holding her emotions together fell apart. Her tears cascaded down her face as she began to moan and sob, the dread in her mind just being so much to bear that she had no choice but to let it all go. The young princess cried that night, knowing that in due time, she would no longer be able to call the world above her home.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Notes: I didn't mean to go so long without posting, but in truth, this fic has been hard to stick with. Maybe it's the topic I'm covering, or a fear that it's gonna be longer than I planned. I've had the next two chapters written for a while, but when I got around to actually working on it, I just kinda never turn my attention to it properly. Now that I've gotten this one up (and will soon have the next chapter finished and posted), it will be a slow work alongside my main fic, but I am gonna stick with it! And if you enjoy what you see, leave a review or a favorite!_

* * *

The early morning rays of the sun beamed into Lucia's bedroom as if there was nothing wrong with the world, but even as her alarm went off for the day, Lucia could not shake herself of the weight that hung on her shoulders. Her shell locket sat on the bedside table, the light glistening off of it. Her school uniform hung on her closet door, while her red boots sat below it, both ready to wear for the last few days of the masquerade that had spanned well over a year. Had it really been that long since she first came to the world above? Lucia didn't know for sure, and she couldn't bring herself to rise up from the bed, even when Nikora called and called for her to get up, refraining for only a moment before her footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs.

"Lucia," the older woman called as she came to a stop and knocked on the bedroom door. "It's time to get ready for school. Your breakfast is getting cold, and Hanon's already dressed and eating. Come on and get ready."

The young girl only groaned, and pulled the covers above her head.

Nikora cocked an eyebrow at the protest. "Lucia..." She crossed her arms, her patience growing thin. "I know what's on your mind. There's no budging around it… You have to go to school, we have to settle all this the right way.. You have to tell him in person, anyway."

 _She's right_ , a thought echoed in Lucia's mind, _you do have to tell him in person._ _There's no way Kaito would settle with his girlfriend just up and leaving without saying anything, especially when he's just as capable of finding her kingdom as anyone else is_. That is, anyone else with underwater clan powers in their favor. But still, she argued back, he wouldn't settle for just going without being with her after everything they'd been through. The wave that threw him overboard, the first few months after their first re-encounter, the fight with Gaito and the Dark Lovers, the loss and recovery of Kaito's memories, and the battle with Michel and the Great One. They'd been through so much, they couldn't bear being apart now-

"Lucia! If you don't get up now, I'm going to call Hanon up here with a bucket of water and have you dragged out by your soaking wet fin!"

Lucia groaned again, but despite the weight that bore on her heart, she tossed the covers off of her.

* * *

"Good morning everyone!" Hanon greeted the class as the girls entered into the classroom. Lucia quietly nodded to the class, momentarily making eye contact with Rina, who nodded with the same silent understanding of their fate in her eyes, but kept her eyes down as she walked to her seat. She didn't want to make eye-contact with Kaito, as she was terrible at playing as if nothing was wrong, but as she sat down in her desk, she noticed that by this point, he would've greeted her in his usual cheerful manner.

Actually, the absence of Kaito's voice that morning at all made Lucia's anxiety reach an obscenely high level. She looked up just before the teacher called everyone to take their seats to find out that Kaito wasn't even in the classroom yet. He was likely out surfing this morning and forgot what time school started, Lucia decided. Maybe she'd be lucky enough to get out of talking to him until later-

"Hey Kaito-kun!" Lucia jumped as the classroom doors opened, with Kaito trudging through them hastily. The tanned red-head looked as though he'd ran a marathon just now, sweating like he'd been under the desert sun for an hour. And his face looked red as if he'd hardly been able to breathe!

The teacher eyed the late student in concern. "Doumoto-kun, are you alright? You look terrible..."

Despite what had to have been a lot of effort to get to the school, Kaito grinned broadly, shaking his head and straightening up. "Nah, don't worry 'bout it! I'll be just fine, I just had to take a longer route to get here." He cleared his throat and walked to his seat beside Lucia.

Lucia, of course, was now far from worried about her own problems. "Kaito, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Kaito only grinned at her, that award-winning smile still making Lucia's heart swoon despite her turmoils. "It's nothing, Lucia. Are we still on for our date today?"

"Our… date?"

"Yeah! Are we still on for the date at the aquarium today?"

Lucia blinked. Once. Twice. Then her eyes widened. "Was that today?!" How could she forget? This was a date that she'd been hoping to have for months! Everything had become so peaceful, and so they had decided to return to one of the places where their feelings were first realized! … Well, actually, it was a kiss shared between a glass wall, but no one was asking for specifics! That was the day that she knew Kaito loved her! Or at least, loved her mermaid form, but they got past that! It was the day that Lucia began to think she had a chance to be with Kaito!

…. And then Nikora and the others had to rain on her sunny parade with a hurricane the size of Asia itself!

"Geez, Lucia, you can't tell me you actually forgot about what day it was..." Kaito laughed, but it was interrupted by a few coughs. In that small moment, Lucia could see that Kaito was truly exhausted, though she couldn't quite agree with herself on him being sick. He wouldn't come to school if he was this sick; he knew better than to do that!

Then again, as they went on about their day, she watched as Kaito continued to act as if he was at times just fine and at other times fighting a nasty chest cold. The fear Lucia had when she arrived at school that morning began to rise up like an angry fire burning out of control. She knew she had to say something, to tell him that she would be leaving… but she feared the reaction. She feared the scene that would happen the moment she told him "I'm leaving the human world".

It played over in the princess's mind as school let out, as she told him she'd see him soon. There was no mistake! They'd be standing there next to one of many large glass tanks, marine animals of many shapes and sizes swimming around. They'd be lost in the moment, and before long, Kaito would begin to say something, to make his heart's mind known to Lucia, and then… She'd go and ruin it by saying "I have to leave". He'd know it the moment she said it, and he'd refuse it, there's no way the world can break them up now! After everything that's happened, it can't end like this! There'd be tears, there'd be stares from passerby…. Maybe he'd beg to run away with her, and she'd love to, so much!

As the time drew closer, the pink mermaid's heart wound itself into more knots than she could stand. She didn't know if she could go through with this! She was always bad at holding back her feelings… The pain would be too much!

 ***DING-DONG***

Silence. The hotel's front door opens. "Lucia! Kaito's here!" _Aqua Regina, steel my nerves_ , Lucia called to her memory of the goddess of the seas as she left her bedroom and walked down the stairs to her date… If you had asked her how she felt about the evening's events, she would have likely told you her fate was sealed the moment she walked out the doors of the hotel.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Notes: I've debated whether or not to keep something within this chapter. Not that it was something I didn't want to happen, but the amount of detail I had initially seemed a bit much. Trigger warning for sensitive material, though I've removed anything very graphic, and I've also bumped up the rating so that I'm not falsely presenting this story in any way that may get me in trouble. **Proceed with caution.**_

* * *

If you had asked Lucia how she felt about the evening's events, she would have likely told you her fate was sealed the moment she walked out the doors of the hotel.

* * *

Surprisingly for Lucia's sake, she managed to keep herself occupied with small talk as the young couple made their way to the aquarium, paying for their tickets and making their way inside. From time to time, through the exhibits and large viewing areas, she found herself focusing on the small ring that Kaito had given her some time back. It was a cute little number, given to her just before the battle against Gaito -when they finally confirmed their feelings to each other. So many memories were behind this ring, Lucia treasured it so much just as she did her own pearl. Oh, it pained her to think that soon they would have to be apart, but she had to be strong! She had a kingdom to run, a new goddess to find! The idea that someone would soon be the new Aqua Regina also hung a shadow over the light and laughter of their date; to be a goddess is such a high honor, and yet it's one of the greatest burdens that a mermaid could ever face. It's immensely disturbing to think that the moment the chosen mermaid takes her place, there is no running away. No returning to your past life as a princess, or goddess forbid a common mermaid. Or even a human being...

"Lucia?" The blonde girl's head snapped up, and she looked around; they were now at a little cafe near one of the small viewing tanks where people could see many of the colorful fish that lived in the marine world. Kaito had bought them each a glass of juice and one dish of ice cream; it was a marbled blue and white, just like the sky above, but was covered in whipped cream and star-shaped sprinkles. Kaito eyed her worriedly, and Lucia could see he still looked exhausted. "Are you okay? You've been acting weird all day."

"Ahh, no I'm fine!" Lucia shook her head, the red ribbons in her dirty blonde hair fluttering about. "I've just been thinking about a lot of things recently."

Kaito frowned; Lucia should've known better than to try and hide something from him. "Lucia, you know you can tell me things.. Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's alright," Lucia repeated. "I've just got a lot on my mind. But it's nothing you need to worry about-"

"Lucia." He didn't have to sound so stern, Lucia whined in her head. He shouldn't worry about it! "... It's something about your kingdom, isn't it?"

"..."

"... They're calling you back now, aren't they?"

Lucia sniffled; she was trying so hard to hold back everything she had, but it was proving to be no match against the pain she felt as her silence essentially confirmed Kaito's inquiry.

Kaito shook his head, disbelief rambling through him. He'd been aware of the uncertain future the two would have to face; Kaito himself was unsure of just how Lucia's kingdom- no, more the **entire** underwater world- would take to the news that the other half of the Panthalassan clan's twin heirs was indeed alive and aware of his powers. He could swear up and down on his life that he wasn't a threat to anyone, but the moment it even looked like his power was being abused, the world below would definitely call for his execution. Banishment from the sea wouldn't even be an option, he figured.

But still, he had wondered for so long about the mermaid that he met as a child that when he finally realized that Lucia was that mermaid, he swore on his life that he wouldn't let her disappear out of his life ever again. And he had done so well to protect her...

".. Well.. I guess it had to happen eventually.."

"What?" Lucia looked up at Kaito, who looked uneasy. Her chest burned with fear at what he would say, but this sounded… "Wh-what do you mean?"

Kaito scratched the back of his head, trying to play it as calmly as he could while keeping his voice low. "Well, y'know… You are a princess after all… You have a kingdom to watch over."

"And? Why should that matter?

"You know why it matters, Lucia." Kaito looked away, clearing his throat. "It's just… I know you've got a lot on your plate as the princess of your kingdom.. Since everything is calm again, it only makes sense that you'd be called back."

"I know that," Lucia whimpered. "But it's not fair! I don't want to leave you behind, I want to stay with you!"

Kaito clenched a fist together, struggling to keep from making a scene. "I know you do!" He took hold of the straw in his glass of punch, swirling it around as he tried to convey a sense of control over himself. "But it's for the best, I bet..."

"No… It's not..."

Kaito heard it. The cracking of her voice. The destruction of the very last defenses she had. "Lucia, please-"

"No!" Lucia cried out, no longer able to hold her tears back. "It's not for the best! Sure I have duties to do, but I don't want to leave this world.. I want to stay, I want to be with you, I want to enjoy human life with you! Everyone says they're sorry for it, but they don't really care! They just care that the ocean world is safe again! And they want to keep it that way, so when I do leave it might very well be that I never can come back up here again!"

Kaito caught the implication of that statement like a stab in the heart. "But I'm not bad-"

"They don't care, Kaito! They don't care that you're a good person! All they see is your stupid bloodline and they won't care one bit if I never get to see you again..."

By now, the scene had garnered attention, and both teens were burning under the crowd's growing interest and disdain. Lucia's cheeks burned with sorrow. Kaito couldn't even bear to look at her. "Lucia," Kaito started to speak, uncertainty slowly leaking through, "I know how you feel about this… I don't want you to leave, believe me! But I can't keep you from your home.."

Lucia's sobbing grew louder, wishing she could scream out her frustrations. "But that's just it… It's not just my home, it should be yours as well! You belong down there, and you know that.. I don't want to live in a world where you're not with me, and if I can't even come back and see you then why would I even bother to care and be so upset about it?!"

Lucia had had enough, and she quickly got up and started off towards the exit of the aquarium. Kaito had been caught off guard by her running off, and soon jumped up after her. People in the crowd shouted and yelped as the two pushed through them; Lucia occasionally apologizing between sobs, while Kaito rushed to reach her, his chest burning as he struggled to catch up.

Soon they found themselves in the last chamber of the aquarium, and the light of day called to Lucia. Freedom from Kaito, but not from her own future. Her body betrayed her, however, and she tripped just in front of the exit doors. She hit the ground hard, and pain rocketed through her.

"Lucia! Are you okay?!"

No! She couldn't let him reach her… She got back up as quick as she could muster, her knee screaming in agony, and continued running. "Just leave me alone!" She made it out of the aquarium, sprinting for one of the crosswalks that bridged the lot to the sidewalks along the road. Her luck allowed her through despite her knee, and she was home free.

"Lucia, please sto-" The screech of tires and a loud crash broke the moment, and Lucia stopped, suddenly frozen in her tracks.

Someone screamed. People started shouting.

Lucia's breath caught in her chest as her body chilled over to the core, and her mind went numb. She couldn't hear Kaito anymore.. What just happened?

The bustle of the crowd mellowed into a quiet, muffled rumble. "Oh god," she could hear someone say. Did she dare to turn around?

Lucia hesitantly looked behind her to the crosswalks. She couldn't see Kaito, but a crowd had formed, and smoke could be seen emanating from something nearby. Far from her control, Lucia made her way back towards and into the crowd. "I'm sorry, please excuse me- …!"

Words couldn't form. No sounds could be made. Lucia couldn't even move. The world swayed around her as her eyes refocused out of her control onto the sight that would curse her memory for a lifetime. A pale blue car was now stopped onto the grounds of the aquarium's entrance; most of its windows were cracked, some shattered with glass strewn around, a tire or two deflated, and the front of the car was smashed in from hitting one of the lightposts, smoke releasing from under the car's hood. A lightpost was toppled over, bent in the middle, but Lucia cared not for the lightpost, as the pale blue paint of the car's exterior had splatters of red dotting its surface.

And on the ground laid a body, haphazard in its state of rest. Blue pants shredded and stained, black and white sneakers scuffed and scraped. A white shirt growing dark red by the second. An arm laying motionless on the concrete, adorned with a silver ring on one finger. A red, matted mess of hair struggled to move in the small breeze.

Lucia stumbled back and collapsed to the ground as the crowd milled and rushed to get help. She heard the command, but couldn't fight the fact that it wouldn't fix anything. "O-oh god.. S-someone, anyone, call an ambulance!"


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Notes: WHAT YEAR IS IT. Good grief, it's been WELL OVER A YEAR since I updated this fic, and I apologize immensely. A lot of shit has happened, I did manage to finish one fic I had been working on... and then followed it up with even more. I'm a mess, my WIP folders are a mess, but I want to write again! This chapter might not be too coherent as it's sat for well over... several months without a solid checkthrough, and my muse for anything has been drier than the Sahara for a long time. I am sorry for my negligence in keeping anyone reading this waiting._

* * *

The hotel was closed and empty now. Belongings were thrown away or sold. The school was notified of the changes, and after so long spent in uncertainty, all of the seven kingdoms finally had their princesses back, pearls and all. The merfolk rejoiced in the return of their princesses, but the world seemed so much darker to Lucia now. No one dared to say anything. No apology. No magical trinket to ease her pain. No prayer to Aqua Regina. Nothing could bring Kaito back.

The whole ordeal had been exhausting and numbing for the princess. That evening, Lucia had been brought back to the hotel by a police officer that had been patrolling the area and came across the car accident near the aquarium. Some said it was a crazy driver, maybe they were drunk; others say the car's brakes failed. But it didn't matter the reason; despite his injuries, the driver had hit someone with their car. They killed someone.

Lucia could never doubt what she saw. She could never doubt what happened that day.

At first, she really did try and tell herself that it didn't actually happen. Kaito would be okay. She was sure of it…

That, of course, lasted for a second before reality came crashing down on her. Many people struggled to help, to find out if the young man that had been hit could be saved. But the damage had been too much. Even with a quick response from a medical team, no matter how valiantly anyone could've acted to save him, the injuries received would've undoubtedly led to a slow and painful death in a matter of days.

No… **hours, if even that at all**. Lucia couldn't even take solace in the comfort of a quick, painless death, and she could only curse whatever god in the heavens above land had taken away what last bit of light could've brightened her life. At least, had she even allowed him to be her light.

That evening, Kaito Doumoto had spent his last moment on Earth chasing after a girl who believed she'd never ever have the chance to see him again. The cold truth had hit just hard enough that Lucia remained in a comatose state of mind well into the early morning hours of the next day. By that time, Nikora and the others had found out about his…. His…

Even now, as Lucia now lingered in the confines of her bedchamber in the North Pacific castle only days later, it was hard for her to come to terms with what happened. The memory of the accident clawed at her heart, and it wrenched and fought in her chest to keep from beating its last beat.

 _"Lucia, please sto-"_ The words he tried to say… His last words. Lucia's heart ached; she had denied him what remained of their time together, and he was denied the remainder of his life without her.

"Lucia!" A knock sounded at the door, and it slowly opened. Nikora glided in, her dark purple hair traded in for the ultraviolet shine of her natural lighter shade, the same as the color of her fin that trailed behind her. "Lucia… Tell me you're not still..."

Lucia stayed silent; the mournful look she had been carrying for the past week refused to part from her. She didn't care for it to stay or leave either.

Nikora sighed, not quite sure if she was willing to see more of the princess grieving. "Lucia… I know you must be upset about what happened, but you… There is so much to be done now. You're home. You have duties to perform."

Lucia nodded slowly. "I know..."

Nikora rubbed her hands together in anxiety; this mood wouldn't do well for the situation at hand. "Um… I'm sure Taki has informed you by now about the current state of affairs, yes?"

".. Yes." Lucia had indeed heard of it by now. The kingdoms were gearing up for the revelation of the new successor for Aqua Regina's throne. Each kingdom's oracle was tasked with reading the auras of the kingdom's subjects for any sign that the future goddess was within their kingdom. Taki, the oracle for the North Pacific kingdom, had been keeping a very close watch on the kingdom's auras due to the two-time succession belief, the idea that the successor was chosen from the same kingdom twice, regardless of their rank; because Aqua Regina had placed such high responsibility on Lucia during the task of finding the princesses and bringing Seira to maturity, it was assumed by most that she would be a very likely candidate, if not the **only** candidate for succession in the kingdom.

But Nikora had a much more pressing reason as to why Lucia needed to be focused on the succession. She never told the princess about it, and neither did Taki, who had revealed this close secret to Nikora the night Lucia had first gone to the surface. Taki foresaw the future of Lucia's pearl at her birth, and was shocked to find that the small pearl carried a brilliant light shining within; one of nobility, courage, determination, and love. But behind that light was a darkness that threatened to overtake the light; one that could devour the virtues Lucia was destined to show in life, and maybe Lucia's entire life before she could even begin her major roles as princess and a savior of the seven seas. The fortune-teller had hoped that the light would shine brilliant without any trouble, but when Lucia had met Kaito all those years ago, Taki warned Nikora that the darkness might not be unavoidable after all, and that the light would only shine brilliantly for so long until the darkness became too much. And now that Lucia was suffering through the loss of her true love, Taki stressed that the darkness was gaining in strength, and Lucia was losing her grip on life far quicker than anyone could help her. If the goddess was found in her kingdom, Lucia would have to be on the front lines to protect her, and her kingdom, and this was no time to lose the heir to the throne. That, of course, was before anyone wanted to consider what would happen if Lucia **was** revealed as the future goddess….

"Your highness?" The door creaked open, and a handmaiden swam in. Her fin was a dark pink, and an off-white sash was tied around her waist. Brunette hair flowed behind her in a haphazard braid, and coral eyes eyed the princess with concern. "I hate to interrupt your moment of peace, but a message has come in from the Atlantic seas. It appears to be urgent."

Lucia glanced over to the handmaiden and nodded. "Understood. I'll be there in a moment." Nikora couldn't help but feel her heart breaking; Lucia's eyes still bore the unmistakable weight of intense mourning. They would likely never lose that weight until far away from now, either.

* * *

"Ah, your highness. You've arrived at last." Lucia had now arrived in the council room. Higher members of the royal court held meetings here in the event of kingdom troubles or management issues. Many decisions were made here in Lucia's absence, and now part of the court had arrived in the news of the North Atlantic kingdom's message. In the event of another kingdom's message arriving, the princess of the kingdom had to be present for its' reading, as the contents could be of major concern to the kingdom that received it. Lucia had now taken seat at the front of a small coral table, not quite focused on either of the two elder mermaids that sat a few seats away. Taki and Nikora had taken their seats beside the princess, and three handmaidens had taken their place against the wall away from the table. "The message arrived moments ago," one of the elder mermaids spoke. "The carrier dolphin stressed its importance as it came from the princess of the North Atlantic."

Lucia furrowed her brows. "North Atlantic… you mean Rina?" It seemed odd for Rina to send an urgent letter so soon after arriving home. She, along with Hanon, had parted ways from the pink mermaid just shortly after they had completed packing up the hotel on land, as the two princesses had farther to travel than Lucia did. It was likely that the letter was to ensure that Hanon and Rina had made it home safely, but still… "Was there any other memo about the note's contents?"

The elder mermaid shook her head, her pale pink tied neatly into a ponytail that floated behind her. "None that we are aware of. It was only noted that you had to read the message as soon as possible." The message was delivered on a scroll, pale in color with a green ribbon tied around it. It looked so innocent sitting on the table, but its presence had drawn a heavy weight of anxiety over the group. It almost looked like it was too big, now that she saw it in person. "You may read it when you are ready."

Lucia picked up the scroll, unsure of whether she wanted to see the contents of it or not. On the one hand, the letter could simply be Rina voicing her concern over Lucia's well-being. But on the other hand, the letter may be regarding the succession of the new goddess of the sea… Maybe she has finally arrived? Lucia nodded and slowly untied the ribbon around the scroll, allowing the scroll to unroll before she began to read:

 _"To the Princess of the North Pacific Kingdom:"_

 _"I write to you this evening in high hopes that you have arrived home safely and are preparing for the arrival of the succeeding goddess Aqua Regina. Should you receive this letter, I must express concern over the state of affairs that involves the search, specifically around your kingdom's efforts. The new goddess has not shown up in the Atlantic, Arctic, or Antarctic Oceans to our knowledge, and we have feared that your kingdom may be..."_

Lucia hesitated unwillingly. "Your highness?" One of the handmaidens had now swam over to Lucia, placing a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "Please, do continue." Lucia gulped quietly, and continued reading:

 _"… We have feared that your kingdom may indeed be hosting the new goddess; if luck is with us, she will be a wise ruler over the seas."_

One of the elder mermaids scoffed. "What is their basis for such an assumption aside from that silly rumor?" The princess read on:

 _"We've had reports of the currents flowing through the ocean behaving violently for some time now. Travel between kingdoms and regions was near impossible, leading to injury of marine life and the merfolk that dared to attempt passage through them. However, sources from outside the kingdoms are confirming that the currents have calmed as of almost a week ago; the court of my kingdom has made aware that the calm may coincide with your return to your kingdom, as the seas raged on well beyond my return as well as that of the South Atlantic princess's return."_

Lucia grew numb as her mind worked to remember the trip back to the kingdom; she didn't recall encountering any harsh currents… Was the sea turbulent when they entered?

 _"I trust that you may take this as a serious consideration to the fate of the seas and those within. I mean no ill towards you during this time, as I know your return back here is not without heartache to the world we left behind. But we must be ready for the new goddess when she arrives, and I pray that no matter who the fate is bestowed to, you will continue to hold your head high as a proud ruler of your kingdom."_

 _"Take care, Lucia_

 _\- Her Royal Highness of the North Atlantic Ocean, Rina"_

The room was filled with a tense silence. The elders mumbled over the news, while the handmaidens uneasily looked at each other. Lucia's heart couldn't decide if it wanted to break or flutter. The sea would always welcome Aqua Regina like the last piece of an unending puzzle.

And for a brief moment, Lucia felt leagues away from Nikora or Taki. All she could see was herself and the letter, and there was no one around to hear her cry.

* * *

The night was quiet, after the castle had settled and those within had gone to sleep for the evening, but Lucia could not force herself to sleep after that meeting. The elders had decided that maybe preparations for the succession needed to be underway, since it seemed confirmed that the goddess would be of North Pacific descent. But Nikora stressed that it was still uncertain about where the successor would be; the seas were always a bit more wild when one of the princesses was not within the bounds of the sea world, so it could've just been that the waters finally sensed the presence of the last princess coming home; besides that, there hadn't been any word from the Indian or South Pacific kingdoms either. But Lucia couldn't quell that growing fear that she was running out of time somehow. As she sat in that room hearing the court members discuss the pros and cons of starting the preparations, a disturbing feeling had wrapped itself around her heart, and Lucia had to excuse herself to get some hold of herself.

That was hours ago, and she was still stressed. Her blonde hair was scattered about her as she bolted awake from a fitful attempt at sleep to the feeling of disturbance. Where it came from, Lucia didn't know, but there was one thing she knew she had to do. It was the only thing she could allow herself to do. She made not one sound or song as she carefully brought out a woven bag from underneath her vanity. It rattled quietly as she lifted it up and checked inside to see if the contents were okay. Slipping the bag over her shoulder, she swam over to the door of her bedroom and quietly left the bedroom, careful not to get her tail or hair caught as she shut the door again. She locked it with a key upon a ribbon that she stashed into her bag, careful not to make a sound.

Swiftly, Lucia made her way down the halls of the castle, looking down every hall to be sure she wasn't spotted. Soon, she made her way to a massive hall, where a large fountain sat in the middle, and on the end closest to her stood a massive pool holding a large opened clam shell with a pearl in the middle. Even now, this room felt so alien to her; it was the main hall, and this was the prayer fountain she was near, where she and many other mermaids within the kingdom had prayed to Aqua Regina growing up. The idea that soon the kingdoms would be praying to someone else made Lucia ill, and she rushed out from her place towards the front of the castle. It wouldn't be long now…!

"Miss Lucia?" Lucia jumped, and spun around to find Hippo not far behind her, concern pasted on his face. "What are you doing out and about so late at night?"

Lucia could only shake her head as she failed to give a reason in a choked whisper: "Please don't worry about me!" She rushed ahead towards the exit of the castle, Hippo powerless to stop her as she made her way out and away from the castle. From the kingdom. From the worlds below.


End file.
